LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 19, 2017) - Vitality Biopharma, Inc. (
Vitality Biopharma has developed a new class of cannabinoid prodrugs, known as cannabosides, which upon ingestion can be targeted and limited to the gastrointestinal tract, thereby avoiding drug psychoactivity and unforeseen side effects. In a preclinical model of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cannabosides were able to reduce weight loss, decrease damage to the colon, and markedly improve gastrointestinal health compared to the placebo controls. Vitality’s cannabosides were successful in treatment of an acute model of colitis (DSS), which is traditionally viewed as very challenging, given that certain FDA-approved therapies including corticosteroids and TNF-alpha inhibitors have been shown to be ineffective for treating this model. The positive preclinical efficacy results with cannabosides are required in order for the Company to progress into first-in-man clinical trials.
Independent clinical trial results have suggested that cannabinoids can help induce remission of drug-resistant IBD with only eight weeks of treatment. In addition, Vitality recently released data from a pediatric Crohn’s disease case study that documents the condition of a child who achieved remission using cannabis after nearly all classes of FDA-approved IBD medications were shown to be ineffective. Vitality’s cannabosides may be especially useful for pediatric applications as they are designed to deliver cannabinoids to the gastrointestinal tract while avoiding drug psychoactivity, which is understandably preferred by most parents and pediatric gastroenterologists. According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, approximately 1.6 million Americans currently have inflammatory bowel disease and this figure includes as many as 80,000 children.
“We are excited to obtain this positive data for our cannabosides program, and to continue exploring the utility of our compounds for treatment of IBD and other key therapeutic applications,” said Dr. Brandon Zipp, Director of R&D, and Scientific Co-founder of Vitality Biopharma. Robert Brooke, the Company’s CEO, further states that “This is another example of our team delivering on a critical milestone. It puts us one step closer to ensuring that cannabosides will soon reach the hands of physicians and patients that deal with gastrointestinal disease every day, and who are eager for new treatment options.”
About Vitality Biopharma (
Vitality Biopharma is dedicated to unlocking the power of cannabinoids for the treatment of serious neurological and inflammatory disorders. For more information, visit: www.vitality.bio. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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